Mako and Korra to the Rescue!
by avatarfan82
Summary: Bolin and Jinora are having some communication problems that they can't seem to resolve on their own. Will Mako and Korra be able to step in and help them make sense of the situation? Nice and fluffy oneshot!


Bolin sat in his living room and slowly began to toss a ball against the wall. His condo was quiet except for the rhythmic thud of the ball bouncing back and forth. As he continued his solitary game, his eyes drifted to a picture that was sitting on top of his television. It was a picture he and Jinora had taken on one of their last dates. In the photo, he had his arms wrapped around her shoulders and was kissing her cheek while she smiled brightly into the camera. Even though they had recently ended their one one-year relationship and it hurt him to look at the image, he didn't have the heart to remove it yet.

At that moment, he heard someone stick a key into the lock. Then, the lock turned, followed by the door knob. Before the front door opened, Bolin already knew who it was.

"Hey, bro." Mako said, slowly entering and closing the door behind him.

"Hey," Bolin said flatly, not looking up from what he was doing. He wasn't expecting any visitors, but Mako always showed up at random times. Since he had his own key, Bolin was used to it.

Mako let Bolin continue with what he was doing for a while, taking note of how down he looked, until the silence in between ball bounces was unbearable.

"So, you wanna talk?" Mako finally asked, trying not to sound impatient but unsure if he had accomplished that goal.

"About what?" Bolin asked nonchalantly, as he continued to bounce the ball. Mako walked around to where he could intercept the bouncing ball. He caught it on the next throw and held it in his hand as he stood squarely in front of his little brother.

"Don't play dumb. You know what I'm talking about, Bolin." Mako replied. He sat down on the floor in front of him, forcing his brother to make eye contact with him.

Bolin sighed as he rolled his eyes.

"Fine." He said as he leaned forward and put his hands on his forehead.

"What happened? Jinora is a mess right now and you don't seem to be much better. You look terrible. I'd say your best option is to just start talking. " Mako said matter-of-factly.

Bolin sighed as he ran his hands through his hair.

"First of all, I couldn't sleep at all last night, so thanks for pointing out how bad I look. Second, I don't know what went wrong. Everything was okay and she finally seemed to be getting over the age difference thing, but she suddenly just got all mad and left."

"Wait, what are you saying? Age difference thing?" Mako interrupted. "Did she have a problem with you being older than her?"

"Not exactly. But, I think she thinks I had a problem with it." Bolin explained, absently twirling a lock of his hair. It was a nervous habit that he had developed back when they were children. Now that he was 26 years old, he still resorted to that behavior to calm himself down when he was stressed.

"Look, we all know you being six years older than her was a touchy subject for everyone. Her parents were not excited about it at first, but they've really come around. So, what did you do to her?" Mako asked, eyeing him suspiciously.

"Me? What do you mean? Why do I have to be the one that screwed up?" Bolin asked defensively.

Mako's look changed from suspicious to stern and Bolin groaned, after a moment of defiant silence.

"Okay, okay. I screwed up. She asked me to go to this gathering at the college. Something for one of her class projects. I told her I really didn't think it was a good idea for me to be hanging out with a bunch of kids." Bolin began.

"Seriously, Bo? Come on." Mako said, sighing in exasperation. "Why would you say something like that to her?"

"You know me…I'm always saying the wrong thing. Anyway, that wasn't even what set her off. Of course that led to another argument, though. The same kind of argument we've been having for months. She got really mad this time and lost control of her bending."

"Yeah, I heard about the mirror." Mako interjected.

"At the end of it all, she said that she wasn't even sure if we were going to last and said that she might as well leave. " Bolin finished.

"Let me guess. You told her to go ahead and leave, right?" Mako finished.

Bolin shook his head slowly. "No, that's the thing. I didn't say anything. I just stood there like an idiot. And she left."

Now it was Mako's turn to shake his head.

"I get it. You didn't fight for her. You gave up." He concluded. "Well, maybe it's for the best, then."

Bolin glared at his brother. He didn't know if Mako was trying to make him angry on purpose, but it was working.

"How could you say that? I mean, I love her! Of course I didn't want her to leave…I never wanted her to leave! I just didn't know what else to do." Bolin replied, his tone of voice changing from anger, to uncertainty, and then finally to defeat. Then, he fell silent as both men took in the words he had just spoken.

Mako looked into his brother's eyes and, for once, saw real pain in them. Maybe Bolin was finally starting to grow up after all.

"That's how you really feel?" he questioned, and Bolin nodded instantly.

"Yeah. It is." He then glanced over at Mako, looking lost, and said, "What do I do now?"

As an answer, a pair of pants hit him directly in the face.

"What the-" Bolin said yanking the pants off of his face only to have them immediately replaced by a shirt.

"Quit it, Mako!" Bolin exclaimed, grabbing the shirt and preparing to throw something back at him. When he saw his shoes in his brother's hands, he paused and held up the clothes in an attempt to defend himself. "Don't you dare throw those at me!"

"Well then, hurry up and get dressed! You're taking too long. Jinora's not going to wait around forever for you to quit sulking. You need to go fix this now." Mako insisted, winding up as if he were going to chuck the shoes directly at his head.

"Alright, alright! I'm going!" Bolin said, scrambling out of his seat and running into his bedroom.

Mako smiled to himself as he stood up off the floor. Bolin got dressed in record time and then the two brothers headed out the door and straight to Jinora's apartment across town.

* * *

Jinora had her head down on her kitchen table as she cried into her arms. Korra gently rubbed her back as she waited for the young airbender's fit to pass.

After she and Mako had heard about Jinora and Bolin breaking up, they knew they were going to have to get involved somehow. They had momentarily considered giving the pair space to figure things out on their own, but after a few phone conversations (Mako speaking with Bolin and Korra with Jinora), it became clear that they would need to act fast.

Apparently everything had gone down two days before. It started with Bolin being Bolin and making an insensitive comment about Jinora's age while also declining an invitation to an event that was important to her. The ensuing argument was one for the record books, with Jinora getting so angry that she started to involuntarily airbend Bolin's belongings around his condo. He realized too late what was happening and had to sacrifice a mirror in the process. When tempers were done flaring, Jinora had threatened to leave and Bolin made no attempt to stop her.

Now, Korra sat with Jinora in her apartment, trying to console her.

"Jin, it's going to be okay." Korra said gently. "I don't think he meant to hurt you."

"Well, why does he have to be such a jerk? I bet Mako doesn't act like that," she said, her voice muffled by her shirt sleeve.

"Sometimes he does, but sometimes I do to." Korra said.

"I bet he doesn't call you a kid, though." Jinora said stubbornly, and Korra chuckled.

"You know that's not fair. Our situations are totally different. And like I said, I don't think Bolin meant it like that." Korra finished.

Jinora finally raised her head from the table and Korra handed her a tissue. She wiped her face, but her eyes were still red and slightly swollen. Apparently, she had spent most of the night crying and only stopped when she was too exhausted to continue. She got a few hours of sleep and awoke feeling numb. It wasn't until Korra had shown up on her doorstep that the waterworks began again. Korra hadn't even said why she was there, but Jinora knew.

"Korra, I really miss him, but I don't know if we can keep going back and forth the way we were. He makes these comments sometimes and it makes me wonder if he actually views me as a woman." Jinora said.

"I know this age thing is tricky. Did it ever bother you before that he was older?" Korra asked.

"Not at all. I've always liked him and I just always pictured us together. But, when we actually started getting serious, some of these issues started coming out that I never thought would matter."

"Yeah. That's how it goes sometimes. I thought Mako and I had everything figured out when we got engaged, but then we got married and had to make some adjustments. After that, I figured we were okay again, but then we had our first child shortly after that and some more adjustments had to happen. Things are constantly changing even now, four years since our wedding." Korra explained.

"I guess that makes sense. But we seem to be getting stuck at the same place every time. Maybe he really won't be able to ever view me as anything but a kid sister." Jinora said, looking down sadly at the table top.

"I think it would be helpful for you to talk to him about these feelings. I bet he doesn't even know you've had this on your mind."

"Well, I said it pretty loudly the other day." she said and Korra laughed out loud for a moment. Jinora just silently shook her head as she thought about how ridiculous that whole argument actually was.

"Yeah, but I meant in a calm way. Tell me one thing, Jin. Do you love him?" Korra continued

She nodded as tears sprang into her eyes. "With all my heart." She whispered.

"Then just talk to him. I'm sure he wants to talk to you, too. I know it seems like he gave up on you by letting you walk away, but you don't have to let this go without a fight."

Jinora looked Korra in the eye, and a new determination seemed to surface in her.

"Well, I never thought of it that way. I think I want to try again." She said slowly.

"Good, I'm glad to hear that." Korra said.

"So, what now?" Jinora asked with a child-like expression on her face that made Korra smile.

"Well, you just need to give him a call and let him know you want to talk. Then, go from there." Korra explained.

"Should I call him now?" she asked and Korra shrugged.

"Call him when you're ready. But, it's probably better not to drag it out." She answered. As she stood to grab her glass of water, Jinora nodded in agreement. She would think about it and see how she felt.

Just then, an insistent knock sounded at her door. Jinora had a look of confusion on her face as she got up to see who it was.

"I wasn't expecting anyone." she said aloud. Then she peered through the peephole and immediately let out a high-pitched squeal that caused Korra to wheel around to face her.

"What's wrong?" she asked and Jinora harshly whispered,

"It's Bolin and Mako!"

"Really?" Korra said as she also went to the door, looked out the peephole herself, and saw the two of them standing there. Bolin was closest to the door, looking determined and peering through a window trying to see inside. Mako stood behind him glancing down the street. Korra smiled at the sight of her husband and then backed away.

"Let's let them in." she said, reaching for the knob, but Jinora stopped her attempt.

"What are you saying? I'm not ready to do this yet." She looked terrified, and Korra placed her hands on her shoulders and walked her slowly away from the door.

"Jin, this is the perfect time to do this. He definitely looks like he's ready and I know you want to talk about it. Just go in the bathroom, take a minute to calm yourself, and then come back out. I'll let them in."

Jinora swallowed loudly and then nodded.

"Okay. Thanks, Korra. For everything." She said. She suddenly hugged her tightly and Korra smiled as she returned the gesture. Then Jinora pulled away and darted into the bathroom.

A second knock came from the door, this one more insistent, and Korra pulled it open.

"Hey guys, what's up?" she said, smiling at the two of them.

"What a nice surprise!" Mako said, ushering his brother into the room so that he could get to her. When he reached her, he wrapped his arms around her waist and gave her a kiss.

"Yeah, it's good to see you, Korra, but why are you here? And where's Jin? I really need to talk to her." Bolin said peering around the living room and kitchen.

"Oh, I just came to have a friendly chat." Korra responded, winking at Mako who smiled back at her.

"Yeah, a chat." Bolin said absently. "That's what Mako and I just had." At that moment, a flicker of understanding crossed Bolin's face as he looked between the two of them.

"Wait a minute," he began, but was cut off by Jinora entering the room. Everyone turned to look at her as she timidly said,

"Hey guys." To which Mako waved. Bolin looked relieved and stared at her as if he hadn't seen her in years.

"Hey, Jin. Can we talk for a minute?" he asked quietly. He looked worried that she would refuse, but she nodded instead.

"Yeah. I have some things to say, too."

Bolin then turned back to Mako and Korra and said, "You guys didn't set this up, did you?" Jinora's mouth dropped open as the couple shared a look. Then Korra responded.

"We both did plan to talk to you guys today. Mako knew I came here and I knew he went to your place, but I had no idea that he was going to bring you here."

"Yeah. I wasn't planning to bring you here at all, Bo. I also didn't think that Korra would still be here. I just knew I wanted to talk to you, but I guess the rest kind of fell into place." Mako responded, looking pleased with himself.

"Anyway, it doesn't matter. We're going to head out, but you guys take your time. We'll talk to you later." Korra said. With that, she and Mako left the apartment.

After they had walked through the door and closed it behind them, Mako said, "Wow, that worked out perfectly!"

"Yeah! Let's give them a few hours and I'm sure we'll be hearing from them."

Mako wrapped an arm around her shoulders and she wrapped an arm around his waist as they continued down the sidewalk together.

* * *

Back in the apartment, the two benders stood awkwardly in front of each other, both not knowing who should start.

"Can we sit?" Bolin asked and Jinora nodded. They walked into the living room and Bolin sat on the couch while Jinora sat across from him in an armchair. Once they were seated, Jinora launched into the conversation first, not wanting to lose her nerve.

"First off, I want to say I'm sorry about your mirror." She said hastily. Bolin stared at her in shock for a moment and then burst into hysterical laughter. Jinora looked stricken, as if he had just called her a name. Here she was trying to take this seriously and he had to start laughing.

Bolin quickly picked up on her facial expressions and covered his mouth as he finished chuckling.

"I'm sorry for laughing, but it's just so funny that the first thing you mention is my mirror. I don't care about that stupid mirror! I care about you." He said. He had finally gotten himself under control and took a deep breath.

Jinora's expression relaxed and she smiled for the first time in days.

"It is silly, isn't it? I have bigger things to apologize for than that." She said, looking down at her lap. Her hands were clenched together so tightly that her knuckles were white. Bolin couldn't help but instinctively place his hand over hers. He had told himself on the way over that he would not intrude on her personal space, but had to do something to help her feel less nervous. Jinora didn't pull away, and she actually seemed to relax when he did it.

"Really, though. The whole angry airbending thing? It's okay. That's the least I deserved for the things I said to you that night." Bolin continued, and Jinora shook her head as a smirk appeared on her lips.

"Bo, I know this may seem like a strange question, but I have to ask. It's been bothering me for a long time." she continued. Bolin gazed into her eyes intently as she prepared to speak, vaguely aware of how much he had missed being able to do this.

"Are you really okay with our age difference? I know when I was younger and had a crush on you, you thought it was cute. And you've always treated me like a little sister and protected me. But, I'm not a little girl anymore and I'm worried that you don't see me as a woman." She said, exhaling once she finished.

Bolin paused for a moment, processing what she had said and impressed that she had said it. She was definitely not a little girl anymore, but he didn't need an eloquent speech to tell him that.

"I know you're not a little girl. You're an amazing, beautiful young woman. I barely think about how old we are, Jin. It's just you and me…that's all I notice."

Jinora smiled.

"When we talk about it now, it doesn't seem like a big deal, but we keep arguing over it. Why is that?" she asked and Bolin nodded.

"Well, mainly it's because I'm a jerk." He responded.

"Me too," she replied and they smiled at each other.

"But seriously, maybe we just need to talk more. There are probably going to be more times when things get a little weird, so we have to make sure we say what's in our heads…in a nice way." Bolin answered. Jinora chuckled as she nodded in agreement. She was so glad that they were finally talking this way.

"This feels better, Bo." She said, gazing into his emerald eyes. "I feel like we're going to be okay."

Bolin silently grabbed her hand and pulled her toward him. Immediately, she got up out of her chair and sat down next to him on the couch. He wrapped his arms around her and held her as she laid her head on his chest.

"I'm sorry I let you leave the other night, Jin. I should have gone after you. It must have hurt you a lot that I didn't." He murmured in her ear. At that moment, he could feel her body start to shudder and realized that she was crying. He held her more tightly and softly kissed her hair.

After a few moments, her tears began to subside and she gently pulled away from him, wiping her eyes. He tilted her chin up so that their eyes met and said, "I love you."

"I love you, too. And I'm sorry about everything. I was wrong."

"No, I'm the one who-" Bolin began, but was cut off when she firmly pressed her lips to his. He was caught off guard, but immediately recovered and made the kiss deeper. Once they parted, she was flushed and he was grinning.

"That meddling old married couple. I hope they're happy with themselves." Bolin commented, resting his forehead against hers. Jinora giggled as she thought about Mako and Korra. They always seemed to come through when it counted.

"I guess they can't help themselves. But, I'm pretty sure we wouldn't be here right now if it wasn't for them." She said.

Bolin nodded in agreement as he took her back into his arms and reclined on the couch with her snuggled up closely to him. Within minutes of lying that way with their eyes closed, they both fell fast asleep.

* * *

**I love the idea of Bolin and Jinora as a couple (when they're both a little older, of course), so I really wanted to write a story about it. I hope it was enjoyable and reviews are appreciated!**


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